Women in Leadership Spotlight: Exclusive Interview with Coach Ayesha
- Tammy Reese
- Mar 18
- 4 min read
By Tammy Reese | Tuesday, March 18, 2025 | 12:00 PM ET
As we celebrate Women’s History Month, we honor women who lead with purpose and impact — women like Coach Ayesha. A Mental Health Counselor, Business Owner, and Community Leader, she has dedicated her life to advocacy, leadership, and service. As the founder of 5678DanceNow Inc. and the Exploring Your Purpose (EYP) Program, she merges her passion for mental health, education, and empowerment to uplift families and create lasting change.
From launching youth mentorship programs to spearheading initiatives like her annual holiday toy giveaway and fundraising for a mobile mental health services unit for children, Coach Ayesha continues to break barriers and drive positive transformation. Her journey is a testament to the power of vision, purpose, and dedication to community service.
In this exclusive feature, she shares the defining moments that shaped her leadership, the lessons she’s learned, and her inspiring message for women everywhere: “There is room at the table for everyone to eat.”
What was the defining moment when you realized your purpose in community service and business leadership?
Coach Ayesha: I define the moment that I realized my purpose of the community and business leadership was when I was getting high positive feelings with serving and helping people get connected to resources. They need to live well and the community was giving me a natural high, that’s my purpose.
How has your vision evolved over the years, and what keeps you motivated to continue your mission?
Coach Ayesha: My vision has evolved over the years because I turned my dance program into a mental and behavioral health program, I created a nonprofit out of it. I was able to get State and Federal contracts and grants to be able to help serve families with children. The opportunities and the doors that keep opening is what motivates me to keep serving the people.
What are some key leadership lessons you’ve learned throughout your career?
Coach Ayesha: A key leadership lesson I have learned is that you should always communicate and never assume. Another lesson I have learned is that you have to be able to separate business and personal. Most people that are in your personal life are not really in your business life, and most people who are in your business life are not in your personal life.
As we celebrate Women’s History Month, what does this time of year mean to you personally and professionally?
Coach Ayesha: The time of the year that really makes a difference in my life is during the holidays because I use it for my annual toy giveaway where we give away toys, resources, and food to families who are mostly in need with children. We usually use the holiday season to support our community even more because those are the times when people are suffering from more mental health and more financial disparities. So we really use that time to really try to impact our families and especially with having food or resources on the table.
Your annual holiday toy giveaway has been running for over a decade. What inspired you to start this initiative, and how has it grown?
Coach Ayesha: My annual toy giveaway has been going on for over a decade. What really inspired me to continue to grow and focus on the holiday giveaway is that being a single mom that got married and divorce early I knew I had to make things happen for my children and I couldn’t depend on others. I used my single mom force to drive to be able to provide for other families that were in similar situations because I know and have experienced the struggle in the past.
You’re currently raising funds for a mobile mental health services unit for children. Please let us know more about this.
Coach Ayesha: I am currently in need of funds for my nonprofit organization, 5678DanceNow Inc. To help us purchase a mobile vehicle that will be able to bring resources to people in the community versus having them come to our local county offices or our local offices that are stationed around Georgia. By having a mobile vehicle, we will be able to provide services at a convenient state for our families with children.
What are your next big goals for your nonprofit and business ventures?
Coach Ayesha: Our next big goal for my Nonprofit is to try to continue to our mental and behavioral health technical training school specifically for those with mental and physical disabilities. We have been approved, but we’re still moving along in the effort. We offer over 500 certificate based programs and training to help equip our individuals with mental and physical disabilities to get out here and be able to work and join the workforce with the skills they need.
If you could give one powerful message to the community during Women’s History Month, what would it be?
Coach Ayesha: If I could give a powerful message to women during Women’s History Month, the message would be to uplift one another. We never know what one has had to survive to accomplish what they have. Sometimes we see people doing good, but what was the struggle to actually get there? There is room for the table for everyone to eat.
Connect online:
Personal Instagram: @coach_ayesha
Business Instagram: @5678dancenow.inc
TikTok: @coach_ayesha
About Tammy Reese
Owner of Visionary Minds Public Relations and Media, Tammy Reese is an award-winning writer and journalist best known for landing major interviews with Angela Bassett, Sharon Stone, Sigourney Weaver, Laurence Fishburne, Geena Davis, Billy Porter, Morris Chestnut, Nelly, Mona Scott Young, Giancarlo Esposito, Luke Evans, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Jennifer Connelly, Joseph Sikora, Meagan Good, Leon, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Phylicia Rashad, Omar Epps, Courtney Kemp, Vivica A Fox, Ryan Coogler, and so many more.
She is a proud member of ForbesBLK as well as New York Women in Film and Television.
Other articles by Tammy Reese in Vision & Purpose LifeStyle Magazine.
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